Project approval after AI review on 2 November 2026. Human proofreading is still pending.
Lesson 41
The bishop pair
- What you will learn
- You use two bishops together so that they command squares of both colours.
- What you should already know
- What a pin is
- Lesson 13: A piece that cannot move
Time: about 5 minutes
Thinking questions in this lesson
You can ask yourself these thinking questions in any position. They help you find a good move.
- What is the threat?
- Which piece could be better placed?
Step 1 of 6
Look first
A game that Nimzowitsch shows without names. White has three pawns fewer, but two bishops. Black has only one left.
You are playing White. Which black pawn blocks the long diagonal for your bishop on c3?
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space marks a square or removes the mark.
Choose a square from a list
Position as a list
White
- King g1
- Queen d1
- Rook a1
- Rook f1
- Bishop c3
- Bishop c4
- Pawn a2
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King g8
- Queen d8
- Rook a8
- Rook f8
- Bishop c8
- Knight b8
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b7
- Pawn c7
- Pawn d7
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 2 of 6
Decide
The same position. Both white bishops are aimed at the black kingside.
You are playing White. Which move threatens mate on g7 and forces Black into a pawn move?
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.
Position as a list
White
- King g1
- Queen d1
- Rook a1
- Rook f1
- Bishop c3
- Bishop c4
- Pawn a2
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King g8
- Queen d8
- Rook a8
- Rook f8
- Bishop c8
- Knight b8
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b7
- Pawn c7
- Pawn d7
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 3 of 6
Try it
The same game, one move later.
You are playing White. Black has played g6. With which queen move do you threaten mate on h8?
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.
Choose a move from a list
Position as a list
White
- King g1
- Queen g4
- Rook a1
- Rook f1
- Bishop c3
- Bishop c4
- Pawn a2
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King g8
- Queen d8
- Rook a8
- Rook f8
- Bishop c8
- Knight b8
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b7
- Pawn c7
- Pawn d7
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g6
- Pawn h7
Step 4 of 6
Why does it work?
A bishop reaches far, but it only steps on squares of its own colour. Its range is its strength, the other colour its weakness.
Two bishops reach squares of both colours. In this way each makes up for the other’s weakness.
If both are aimed at the king, a single threat often forces the opponent into a pawn move that opens the way for the other bishop.
Key idea
Use your two bishops together: what one cannot reach, the other can.
When does this apply?
The bishop pair is strongest in open positions. In closed positions a well-placed knight in the centre can be stronger.
Step 5 of 6
New position, same idea
A teaching example from “My System”. White has threatened mate on h7 with Qe4, and Black has defended with g6.
You are playing White. The square g7 is now empty. With which move does your bishop on f2 attack the king?
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.
Choose a move from a list
Position as a list
White
- King h2
- Queen e4
- Bishop d3
- Bishop f2
Black
- King h8
- Queen a1
- Rook f8
- Pawn f4
- Pawn g6
- Pawn h7
Step 6 of 6
Nimzowitsch and today
Source
In “My System” Nimzowitsch calls range the bishop’s main strength and the squares of the other colour its main weakness. With the bishop pair, he says, the strength is doubled, and the other bishop cancels out the weakness. Two bishops attacking the king on adjacent diagonals he calls Horwitz bishops (“Horrowitz-Läufer” in the web source). In closed positions he sees the bishops as weaker (our translation): “Against an unassailable central knight the bishops are surprisingly weak.” In “Chess Praxis” he shows the bishop pair in the games against Leonhardt and Goldstein; he names a third one against Krause. The texts are newly written for the course; the positions come from teaching examples in “My System”.
- My System, 3d (in German): “Die Läufer” (original text not yet published)
- Chess Praxis, 4. Isolani, hanging pawns, two bishops (in German) (original text not yet published)
Today’s view (editorial note)
Today too, the bishop pair counts as an advantage, above all when the position is open and the bishops have free diagonals.